Thistleblooms Rambles

[thistlebloom]

@thistlebloom, when all those burned out Californians arrive in Idaho with insurance money in their hot little hands, buying up everything in sight, come on down to Texas. I'll buy you your own personal window unit. (that's an air conditioner)

It's here now. The county north of us just grew by 70k. I don't even want to know what our county has grown by. I was coming home through our little town (pop. 643 when we moved here almost 20 years ago) last Friday afternoon, and the traffic from the train crossing was backed up a half mile . A busy day used to be 3 or 4 cars. All the woods are now being carved into subdivisions, the "prairie" used to be farmers fields, hay, bluegrass and mint, and now it's a sea of roofs.
Winter in Big Town was usually low traffic when all the tourists and snowbirds left, but now you can't make it through a green light there is such a backup. That's year round.
We just had a snow event, 6-8 inches all over and the amount of traffic accidents was horrendous, people don't know how to drive.
You can spot most of the newcomers. They're driving shiny pimped out vehicles and riding your tail, or racing by and cutting people off.
And now they all think they live in the boonies and are hunters, after they take their on-line course.
Whoa! You hit a nerve there Bay!

 

[thistlebloom]

Went riding today with dh. First snow ride ever with Syringa. She loves snow, likes to munch it. She was swiping bites as we went. Even at the trot she'd put her head down and scoop some up. (Not because she's thirsty, just goofing off). Pretty day and we were the only people on the horse side. I love that.

 

[Baymule]

Same thing here in Texas. Population boom. People aren't happy where they are, so they leave and go somewhere else. That window unit offer is still good.

 

[thistlebloom]

Syringa and I hanging out, telling knock knock jokes.

 

[Baymule]

She is such a personality!

 

[Mike CHS]

I think she is complaining about all of the white stuff on the ground. She is pretty though.

 

[thistlebloom]

Tuesday's ride in the first snow of the year, with my sweetheart.
And my husband. Joking! He is my sweetheart, patient man, who else would put up with me?

It's blurry I know. Syringa was fresh and seeing boogey monsters in stumps and snowy bushes, I was worried about dropping my phone.

After a storm last week.



Same storm, took Syringa for a hand walk around the neighborhood and it was so windy that it was unpleasant, the wind would push me around every time I stood still. But I thought the clouds were beautiful.

Barn cat break on a sunnier day.

 

[Bruce]

Syringa and I hanging out, telling knock knock jokes.

Yours must have been really funny!

Great pictures.

 

[thistlebloom]

Looks like work is over for the season. I have mixed feelings about that. November is my last dollar making month until whenever spring decides to show up and I would have liked to get another week in. On the other hand I am free to attack inside projects and shovel snow .
Doesn't sound exciting to me either. I'll go in every few weeks to check the deer fences and spray repellent.

It's currently snowing lightly, about 4" so far. The apple trees still have their shriveled, dried up leaves stubbornly holding tight. The moose make use of them, so that's alright. They do sometimes break a few small branches, wish I could train them to just break the waterspouts. Good help is so hard to find!

I got a 90 minute ride in on Saturday. I cut it short since I got a late start. She hadn't been out for almost a week so had a bit of sass. Asked for a canter from the walk (working on canter departures) and she just trotted.
Back to the walk...ask again...trotting faster. Rinse, repeat, so finally I tapped her hiney with the dressage whip and she gave me an opinionated buck.
Sorry sister, wrong answer. Start again with an ask then a tap, got another little buck. She is so opinionated! Haha, but finally she agreed and we cantered down a broad grassy road, she going sideways at imagined boogey monsters in the trees, from one side to the other.
As long as she stayed in the canter I just rode and didn't fuss with her. She was fresh, the day was cold, and I try to keep it simple and forward. I love that darn horse.
We have a lot of refining to do (both of us) but there's no rush, and I sneak training moments in along the trail as we go.
I hoped to get a ride in on Sunday so left the trailer hitched, but it was cold and a stiff breeze made the woodstove extra inviting, so I just groomed her and hung out with her for a bit.

Yesterday was my last workday apparently. I spent 4 hours at my small account and got chilled to the bone. I haven't switched to my winter brain yet and didn't wear enough layers. But I made my good client happy by cleaning up and leaving the yard very tidy. Her leaves haven't all dropped yet either, so I'm sure it only lasted for 10 minutes. I told her to take a picture so she could remember it got cleaned.
They are in their 80's and have been my clients for 14 years. If I could only manage to have one job, it would be them. I just found out that the husband has Alzheimers. I'm so very sad for them.

Now that it looks like we will have snow until spring I'm able to use the sleds for feeding and watering. I put the hoses away for the winter so am hauling water in 5 gallon buckets out to the heated tubs. A few years ago I bought a very expensive heated hose and treated it gently, but it only lasted two seasons. Not spending that kind of money again.
Hauling hoses out to fill the troughs, then blowing the water out and keeping them in the laundry room was more work last year than I want to deal with this year, so I haul water on a sled. No big deal, just another way to get exercise so when work starts up in spring I won't be in traction, haha. Plus, I have the time now.

Our Kid#1 is finishing up the fire season this week so will be home soon. Can't wait to see him. He's been gone six months, except for a one week break where he came back up and we got to see him briefly. We had to share him with his GF. Sadly she broke up with him shortly after. She couldn't take the long separations the job requires. It's hard to see your kids hurting. Even when they are grown men.

Well, I made a list for the week. I am getting after one room at a time, organizing, cleaning and dejunking. I usually make a season long list, but now that I know myself so well, I realize that I am kidding no one.

 

[Bruce]

Sadly she broke up with him shortly after. She couldn't take the long separations the job requires. It's hard to see your kids hurting. Even when they are grown men.

That's a tough one, not much of a relationship when one half is gone for 6 months. Of course we have a lot of military families that have to work through that. One more reason to be grateful for their service.